to see whether virtual reality can improve their
mood, strengthen their relationships with staff
and make them more receptive to technology.
Other senior communities in the United States
and elsewhere will soon be added by the
California university.
Virtual reality works by making what the person
sees and hears track with what they are doing.
In a VR trip to Paris, for example, a participant
might turn to the left and see the Eiffel Tower
with a musician playing in the foreground, and
then turn right and find two people conversing.
If the participant moves toward one, that sound
increases while the other diminishes.
“There is a fair amount of previously published
research by academic labs around the world
that shows VR, when administered properly,
can help reduce anxiety, improve mood, and
reduce pain,” said Jeremy Bailenson, the Stanford
lab’s founding director. “This particular study
is focused on how using VR might reduce the
residents’ feelings of isolation from the outside
world — all the more important after the
isolation we all faced during the pandemic.”
During the demonstration at the suburban Fort
Lauderdale community, Colli, Anne Selby, 77;
Mark Levey, 64; and Hugh Root, 92, moved their
heads from left to right and up and down as
they got individual tours of the space station.
“It really felt like you were traveling — and not
alone either. In some of the video, there are people,”
said Levey, a former federal government worker.
Selby, an artist, said that she felt a bit nauseated
as she moved through the space station because
it was so realistic, but that she was able to cope
by taking deep breaths.
Image: Lynne Sladky